Keystone XL Pipeline Caught in Congressional Quagmire

It’s now December 22…..I was waiting a few days to post just in case (!) Congress reached a decision on the legislative package containing extensions of the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits, prevention of a cut in Medicare payments to doctors, and the unrelated issue of the KXL pipeline. The Senate passed a bill (see previous KXL post) that the House rejected on December 20. The KXL remains a political gambling chip and timing remains a big question.

With the time we have, however, citizen voices are needed to speak the truth about the KXL pipeline. The project continues to be presented as an opportunity to create jobs and to meet our energy needs – when the exact opposite is the case. We cannot refute these points loudly enough.

Whether you send a letter to your elected officials inWashington, contact the White House, or write a letter to the editor, you can help expose the deception that is underway.

A few reminders from past postings:

1. The number of US jobs estimated to be created by the pipeline have been grossly inflated. Many of the jobs that could be created, would be temporary. For more reliable data, readPipe Dreams? Jobs gained, Jobs Lost by the Construction of the Keystone XL. This report exposes that only 2,500-4,650 temporary, direct construction jobs would be created – not the 20,000 that the company and Big Oil supporters in Congress put forth. One flawed report by TransCanada also indicated that 119,000 jobs of all kinds could be created or supported by the pipeline, but that report has been discredited.

2. Oil spills and impacts on human health can lead to unemployment – this needs to be factored into the jobs analysis.

4. Oil through the KXL will not answer our energy needs since the company seeks to use US refineries and to export some amount of the oil.

If the current Senate bill becomes law, President Obama will have until February 2012 to decide whether or not to proceed with the pipeline. The pipeline will always be bad for the environment, health, jobs and our energy security – make sure the President hears this message from you!